Perhaps best known for its lengthy history with some of the most recognizable names in beer (Miller, Pabst), Milwaukee’s local craft brewing scene got off to a slow start, but is quickly making up for lost time. Spotting a prime opportunity to have bloggers/writers spread the word about Milwaukee’s rapid craft brewing growth, local brewers put together a promotional video to lure the crowd to town:

Milwaukee will be the sixth conference (out of eight) for us, an experience that has taken across the country from San Diego to Boston and Portland, OR, to Asheville, NC. We’ve had the chance to “hang out” with beer luminaries like Jim Koch of Boston Beer Co. (Sam Adams), Sierra Nevada’s Ken Grossman, David Walker of Firestone Walker, Kim Jordan of New Belgium and many others. (Name dropper!)

The 2017 conference takes place at Best Place, the site of the original Pabst brewery. As always, Julia Herz of the Brewers Association kicks off the conference with an entertaining and informative presentation on the current state of craft beer.

Photo Credit: Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery

I’m particularly interested in a presentation from Randy Mosher on techniques for identifying flavors and other characteristics of beer – and how to describe them to others. Mosher literally wrote the book on tasting beer, and his recent book Mastering Homebrewing is equally excellent. His presentations are always humorous, high energy, and saturated with useful information.

Frank Boon of Belgium’s Brouwerij Boon will present on the history of lambic beer and the art of producing lambics through spontaneous fermentation. Susan Evans, Director, Smithsonian Food History Programs at the National Museum of American History will discuss the Smithsonian’s American Brewing History Initiative. And we’ll even spend some time learning about The Big Squeeze – seven market forces affecting breweries and bloggers.

The National Beer Wholesalers Association‘s Chief Economist, Lester Jones, will be on hand for a discussion of past and current beer industry demographic and consumption trends, providing insight to the future of beer.